Mi Familia Nueva!

Heyoooo,

I am writing this from my homestay! Orientation is basically over, which is good and bad. Good because we start living in the homestays and immersing ourselves in the Spanish culture. Bad because I was just getting to know a bunch of people from my orientation group and may not see them until we randomly have a class together. No one has gotten phones yet because there hasn’t been time. Therefore, no one has the number of anyone else.
Mi familia (don’t worry I won’t forget about the Savat clan): They are very nice and understand that I am not a fluent speaker. Although they have had about 6 semesters of experience hosting kids, they don’t slow down too much when talking to me. It’s a bit tricky because I can’t possibly pay attention to all of the dialogue and try to really pay full attention when they’re talking to me. However, oftentimes they direct a question at me when I am expecting it to go to someone else. Also, they talk faster to the two year old than me, as they should. Thiago (pronounced Tee-ah-go or Tee-ah-geeto for “little Thiago”) is the cutest boy I’ve ever seen. He LOVES to touch things. He always wants to touch everything around him or run around the apartment or parking lot. Their last student was Nico, so he is still calling me Nico, but Austin is fading in. They oftentimes don’t say their “s” so I am basically called Autin (ah-teen). And actually, they are originally from Uruguay, not Spain. Therefore, their accents are harder than I expected to pick up on.
Quick Note: It’s interesting because I’ve had to use Spanish for the past three hours, my fingers and mind are struggling to think in English. I’m getting a bit drained but feel that I am capable of grasping Spanish very quickly.
Gustavo, the husband, loves soccer. Real Madrid. He likes to play as well, and they’ve never had a student that can play soccer or that cares about soccer. I am excited that we have this connection. Annabel is great to. She didn’t understand that my girlfriend’s name could simply be Anne, one quick syllable. I spelled it for her. The adjustment has been rough, and will continue to be rough for a few weeks. However, I feel prepared for the challenge. God has blessed me with everything that I have asked for thus far: safe travels, peace of mind, strength, a young family WITH a husband – which is incredibly rare. When all of the families came to pick us up, the room was filled with ‘Senoras’ which are mothers that live by themselves. I have Thiago’s old room, so Timon and Pumba from the Lion King are everywhere. I have a small window in my room, with a jail-cell style gate to look through. Also, for some reason, I have the famous poster of what’s-her-face applying lipstick (Madonna?).
I gave my gifts to the family. Gustavo immediately “called” the blanket for himself. They are not kidding when they tell you to bring slippers, these floors are so cold! I feel like the cold floors are going through my shoes and making my feet cold. What else…
Also, I like noting the preconceived notions that Spaniards have. For example, they had no idea that water was free at restaurants in the states. Also, she asked if I have roommates back home. When I said yes, she asked which one of us cooks for everyone.
They think that my family is very handsome, I have a beautiful mother, my dad is bald (Gustavo doesn’t have much hair either), and that Ty and I look alike.
Earlier today we went on a scavenger hunt across the city. In those two hours I determined who I would never want to be stranded on an island with and who I would. They’re back, adios!

Austino